In Malmö BMW ORACLE Racing entertained some 1,000 VIP guests over the nine days of racing, an average of more than 100 per day split between our two VIP Spectator Boats. There were also a surprising number of spectator boats on the race course each day, well over 100 on the weekends, making for a lively scene afloat.

Alinghi and their sponsors also took good advantage of the excellent VIP hospitality opportunity the AC now affords, entertaining a similar number of guests in Malmö. The other teams and their sponsors are beginning to do the same.

Will be interesting to see how Trapani works out in terms of spectators, both afloat and ashore. While more remote than Malmö, which was only a 20-minute train ride from Copenhagen's international airport, Trapani is arguably a more interesting and beautiful destination. Our marketing jefe, Mirko "Uncle" Groeschner says we will have a smaller though nonetheless substantial group of VIP guests -- something north of 600. I would expect fewer spectator boats as well, as we are not in or near a major boating center.

However, the word from Grant "Guthrie" Dadvidson and the rest of our advance party now in Trapani is that the locals seem quite a bit more aware of and keyed up for this event. Apparently there are posters in many of the storefronts, and they can feel a buzz around town. So shoreside interest and activity could be exceptionally good, as it was when the Cup was in the smaller towns of Newport and Fremantle. Will be interesting to compare Trapani with the "feel" of the Cup in major metropolitan areas like San Diego, Auckland and Valencia.


One Malmö spectator we don't expect
in Trapani, the Swedish sub that was
"escorted" one day during Act 6 by
ACM Race Ops manager Niccolo Porzio.